Doing some training on Paul’s letter to Colossians recently reminded me that preaching and congregational singing have similar objectives.
Think about the parallels (in bold) in the following two texts from Colossians:
“He (Christ) is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28)
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:16–17)
The Christ that preachers proclaim and the message of Christ that indwells a congregation serve to shape our understanding, re-adjust our thinking and promote collective wisdom that help us to maturity in Christ reflected in whole life worship.
I was reminded of this yesterday when my wife and I attended an 80th birthday celebration concert for veteran Christian songwriter and composer Dave Fellingham. Dave was one of the pioneers of a new wave of Christian songs in the 1980’s that began a revolution in the way that the church in the UK approached sung worship.
The concert was the best kind of nostalgia, with a refreshing look back in gratitude on a unique season in British Christian song writing combined with a nuanced reflection on the present scene and an arrow of hope into the future.
It was lovely to have fellow veteran songwriters Dave Bilborough, Graham Kendrick and Chris Bowater share the stage with Dave Fellingham. They each showcased some of their best-known songs in individual performances. The finale of the evening was a thing of beauty, beautifully constructed and conducted by Dave Fellingham.
Listening to the signature tunes of these four men reminded me of what a crucial hinge point that moment in the 1980’s was for worship in the UK and beyond. It represented a significant gear change from the more basic and at times clunky Scripture in song choruses to something that developed the message of the text of Scripture for a new day. For example, it was a delight to be reminded of Dave Bilborough’s simple but compelling songs: Abba Father and All Hail the Lamb.
Graham Kendrick told the story of how his song The Servant King was written. He had been sent the title and theme of the following year’s Spring Harvest conference, which was ‘The Servant King’, and he was asked if he had a song that would fit the theme, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Great preaching has always stimulated great songwriting, and great songs make an excellent accompaniment to great preaching. This has been true from the composing of Bach’s cantatas, which were written to accompany the sermon in Lutheran churches, to the contemporary worship song that is designed to prepare for the preaching of the word or to respond to it.
Preachers and worship leaders are in the same business.
Both must learn to help the congregation let the message of Christ live for our edification, correction and transformation into whole life worshippers.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
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